Lord McKenzie

Lord McKenzie was a Scottish nobleman who served under King James IV of Scotland during the Anglo-Scots Wars.

Biography
Lord McKenzie was born in Scotland to a noble family, and he loyally served King James IV of Scotland as a general. In 1542, he fought alongside the King at the Battle of Solway Moss, which he described as "Hell on Earth"; shortly after the battle, the King died, and Lord McKenzie went on to become a successful and wealthy merchant. In 1558, he came to the court of King Henry II of France to negotiate a trade deal, but he was brought by Prince Francis to meet with his liege, Mary, Queen of Scots, who required the help of him and his retinue. McKenzie was reluctant to help Mary, whose mother Mary of Guise had allowed the people of Scotland to suffer, but Queen Mary convinced McKenzie to help Scotland despite not having a reward; McKenzie and his retinue left their swords at Mary's feet and bowed in respect, and McKenzie told Mary that the people of Scotland had been waiting for her to rise. He was then instructed to inform the Scottish Protestant nobility (led by Lord Hardy) about a secret clause in Mary and Francis' wedding contract which would deliver Scotland to France if Mary died without an heir; if Mary was unsuccessful in claiming the throne of England, King Henry would have more use of her dead without children than alive. McKenzie stopped to stay with a prostitute before he could return to Scotland, and he and his men were then ambushed by black-clad assassins sent by Queen Catherine de Medici to foil the Scots' plot. All of the Scots were massacred in the ensuing fight, but McKenzie's retainer Liam O'Mally, who fell in love with Queen Catherine, was still aware of the plot and had survived, having decided against returning to Scotland.